China attacks Vietnamese fishing boat near Paracel Islands
[American Military News] This article was originally published by Radio Free Asia and is reprinted with permission.
A Chinese ship rammed a Vietnamese fishing boat operating in the Paracel Islands, Vietnamese state media reported Friday, in what may be the first case of China enforcing its unilateral fishing ban in parts of the South China Sea against vessels of another nation.
Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reported that Wednesday's incident happened near Lincoln Island, a rock in the Paracels that is occupied by China but claimed by both China and Vietnam.
The boat's captain told Vietnamese authorities in central Quang Ngai province that a Chinese ship numbered 4006 chased and then rammed his boat, forcing all of its 16 crew to jump overboard.
After the Chinese took some crew back to pump water out of their listing boat, the Chinese seized one ton of fish, a global positioning system, and other equipment worth in total 500 million Vietnamese dong ($21,000), Tuoi Tre reported.
Posted by: Frank G 2020-06-16 |